4 Feb 2026
Followed closely in reader/judges poll by Asahi Kasei and Monolith/Goodyear
London – UPM Biochemicals’ project to establish the adoption the renewable functional fillers on a commercial scale has come out top of the Elastomers for Sustainability (E4S) Awards – recognising the technologies with the greatest potential to enhance the environmental profile of the tire and rubber manufacturing industries.
The Finnish group achieved scores of 835 from 156 responses readers’ poll as well as 175/200 E4S judging panel: the combined score of 1,110 leaving UPM
E4S Awards final voting results ahead of project entries from Asahi Kasei and Monolith in second and third places respectively.
Since the early stages of the E4S programme, launched in 2022, UPM Biochemicals has steadily maintained a high ranking in the E4S Top 10 – supported by in-depth updates about its establishment of a €1.2-billion bio-refinery in Leuna, Germany and the commercialisation of renewable functional fillers (RFFs) to be produced at the facility.
Offering a bio-based alternative to carbon black and silica fillers in tires and rubber products, the RFFs have shown significant promise in R&D programmes at major tire and rubber OEs including for a concept tire launched by Nokian Tyres.
Read the full E4S Awards 2026 report
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